hey there, so after reading alot of information about how the basal morning temperature tells you alot about your thyroid health i thought id check mine as iv been undiagnosed for 6 years with symptoms of dizziness, dizzy spells, vertigo, extreme fatigue, cant stand or fit up straight for long without feeling faint, faint feeling all the time plus many more.

First i got my girlfriend to do it to make sure the thermometer was accurate which it was and her temp was normal.

So i did mine and it was 96.63 f (35.9 c), which apparently is super low. What does this mean? i also have some thyroid results below, could i please get some help what do i do?

Saliva Cortisol 24 test

Morning 11.7 12.0 - 22.0 Low

second 5.6 5.0 - 9.0 normal

third 5.1 3.0 - 7.0 normal (had to go for a nap because of extreme fatigue)

21 Replies

Leahcim, low basal temperature is a sign of hypothyroidism. Prior to thyroid blood testing low temperature would have been one of the clinical symptoms in diagnosing hypothyroidism.

TSH is low-normal but FT4 is very low in range which may indicate secondary hypothyroidism caused by pituitary dysfunction. Perhaps your GP could order a TRH stimulation test to confirm or rule it out. FT3 is surprising high in range given your low TSH and FT4. Hypothyroid symptoms are usually caused by low T3.

A small amount of TRH is given intravenously and then blood is taken for levels of TSH at several subsequent time points.

Patients with normal function of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis respond by increasing the levels of TSH following TRH injection. Patients with compromised HPA function may exhibit a delayed, blunted or absent response to TRH administration.

TRH stimulation test may be useful in the diagnosis of central hypothyroidism, especially if free T4 and/or TSH are low-normal.[5][6]

Your waking cortisol is low but is normal throughout the day and night. I know very little about cortisol but an adrenal cocktail before bed might be beneficial. Google 'Adrenal Cocktail' or search Healthunlocked for more information.

thank you for your reply clutter so is normal ranges for all except a lowish T4 normal? think im going to try and get reffered to an endo but i doubt i will is there any other signs of hypo like the basal temperature etc?

Leahcim, The range is based on a statistical population average. Unfortunately, we don't get ourselves tested when we're healthy and well so it's usually not possible to determine our personal optimal levels. People require different levels to feel well. Generally, low TSH with FT4 in the upper quadrant of range and FT3 in the top third of range suits most but thyroid protocols have determined a very broad range for TSH, FT4 and FT3 which are considered 'normal' and it can be hard to get treatment until bloods are abnormal.

The links below include a symptoms checker, advise on getting a diagnosis, and information about hypothyroidism.

Hi Leahcim. I dont know if vertigo is "officially" a symptom of hypothyroidism, but it has certainly been my experience that an attack of vertigo, as well as the characteristic need for a wee nap in the afternoon, are both signs that I need to up my dose of thyroxine for a few days. When they drag me in to the surgery for a pointless blood test, the results are usually "Just inside the normal range", however bad I feel: I believe this to be a common experience of sufferers. By the way, I am a 47 year old male: men are very much in the minority of hypothyroid sufferers, and of people on this forum. I suspect that thyroid problems cause us slightly different symptoms than women; I have also found that I benefit from certain supplements and medications which would be inappropriate for women to take.

True it makes sense as we are built differently etc i get these dizzy spells thats like a little explosion in my head which can sometimes lead to full on vertigo it sucks. How did you get diagnoised? thanks for your reply btw

I was diagnosed hypothyroid in 2002 after several months of extreme fatigue/tiredness. I went to the doctor, they took a blood test, my TSH was 29 (normal range is 0.1 to 4.0), so I was prescribed thyroxine. I suspect you may be a victim of the over reliance on the TSH test: since yours is normal, your doctor may have ruled out hypothyroidism, despite your typical symptoms

thanks for the vertigo tip im definily going to remember that and see if it helps :). i dont think iv ever had any thyroid tests done by a doctor, only privately were i paid myself because its a nightmare getting doctors to listen.

so if my free T4 is low normal range but the t3 is high normal range, doesnt this mean my thyroid is working like normal, converting the t4 into t3?

Re vertigo: I have successfully used a brain reset procedure I found on the internet: hold your head steady and stare at a fixed object in the distance until it stops "moving". Then gradually move and tilt your head to various positions WHILE STILL FOCUSSING ON THE SAME OBJECT IN THE DISTANCE.

Also I have found that a chunk of chocolate WITH AT LEAST 70% COCOA SOLIDS helps: apparently in opens the blood vessels in the brain.

Meniere's Syndrome is linked to hypothyroidism. It starts with a feeling of pressure in the ears and progresses to cause vertigo, nausea and deafness. I think I had it, but with just the pressure and loss of hearing in one ear - thankfully the deafness lasted a few days only, and occurred just after a dose increase.

Yes Clutter, thanks for the link. It seems that many of the symptoms suffered by hypothyroid & hypogonadal men are similar, in a mirror image of the situation in which many women find themselves, with symptoms which doctors find easy to dismiss as "just the menopause". Ive certainly found that taking supplements to support testosterone and drugs to inhibit oestrogen have helped me tolerate thyroxine. I wonder if hypothyroid women respond similarly to HRT.

By the way, thanks for the hard work you put in on this forum - you never seem to be too far away with a helpful comment or direction.

Teuchter,thank you. Oestrogen dominance is often a problem for women. The whole hormonal balance is tricky and one doesn't expect GPs to be expert but endocrinologists, who one would hope might be, don't seem to be either.

Yes leahcim, as far as I know, involuntary erections: ie "Private leahcim standing to attention first thing in the morning" usually means you have enough testosterone to function.

a year agoHidden

Mayo Clinic here in the US has said basal body temperature and Wilson's Syndrome isn't a diagnosis of hypothyroid. All your other symptoms seem like you are. The dizziness is the hardest one I ever faced.

Been hypothyroid for 10 years. Upon diagnosis I was lightheaded and two months ago had a bout of vertigo which turned into lightheadedness for weeks. I couldn't leave my house. Unfortunately they over-medicated me this time and that is awful.